Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved.
<p> You may know better than to flash jewelry, take unmarked cabs or accept packages from strangers while traveling. But do you know how to protect your laptop, smartphone or tablet — not to mention your credit cards?</p> <p> Here are 13 things you should do to guard your devices, your bank balance and <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1990-identity-theft-vacation.html">your identity</a> while away from home.</p>
<p>Leave the backup disk somewhere safe, preferably hidden or locked away in your house, said Andrew Brandt, director at Solera Networks Threat Research Labs in South Jordan, Utah.</p> <p> "That means the entire laptop hard drive, everything on the phone (the whole SD card), the works," Brandt said. "I like to use a <a href="http://data-backup-software-review.toptenreviews.com/?cmpid=ttr-snd" target="_blank">whole-drive imaging program</a> like Norton Ghost or Acronis. But Windows users can get away with something like Microsoft's free SyncToy if you don't mind only backing up the data, and you have the restore disc that will reinstall the OS [operating system]."</p> <p> Brandt said Mac users have Time Machine as a backup system, but added that they can also search on the Internet for other free backup tools.</p>
<p>If you lose or break your device, you'll also lose valuable and irreplaceable pictures.</p> <p> "You can always send [broken devices] to a <a href="http://data-recovery-software-review.toptenreviews.com/?cmpid=ttr-snd" target="_blank">data-recovery service</a>, but it costs an arm and a leg," Brandt says. "I carry a tiny little hard drive with me that I can slip into a hidden spot in the hotel room, and use it for nightly incremental backups of these vacation snaps and vids."</p> <p> [<a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1345-safety-tips-holiday-travel.html">Six Safety Tips for Holiday Travelers</a>]</p>
<p>Unless there's a solid, trustworthy, well-secured safe in the hotel room, it's best to keep your gadgets, including your laptop, with you at all times.</p> <p> That means no locking it in the trunk of the car, and definitely no leaving it out in the open in the hotel room, even if it's locked to the desk, Brandt said.</p> <p> "I'm not a fan of safes behind the counter in <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1919-hotel-booking-email-scam.html">the hotel lobby</a>, either," he said. "Of course, there's always the possibility I could be robbed, but it's far more likely that someone will tamper with or steal the device if it’s left unattended."</p> <p> Brandt says he has the free version of Prey, an open-source tracking application, installed on all his mobile devices, but he said there's a good chance it won't do much good other than to let him remotely wipe a device's storage drive.</p> <p> "Just because you know where a stolen device is, it doesn't mean you'll ever see it again, or that the police will act on your information and return your stuff to you," he said.</p>
<p>If your laptop computer is lost or stolen, your personal, financial and, possibly, company data won't be at risk because it'll take a password to read them.</p> <p> "I have the entire system drive on my laptop <a href="http://encryption-software-review.toptenreviews.com/?cmpid=ttr-snd" target="_blank">encrypted</a> with the no-cost TrueCrypt, which is just a sensible precaution to take even when you're not traveling," Brandt said. (TrueCrypt is a free, open-source program that encrypts files.)</p>
<p>If you're technologically inclined and travel a lot, you can save yourself time and expense by being prepared to repair minor computer malfunctions.</p> <p> Brandt said his tech toolkit includes a CD folder containing <a href="http://system-repair-software-review.toptenreviews.com/?cmpid=ttr-snd" target="_blank">bootable restore-and-repair discs</a> and a TrueCrypt rescue disc for his laptop; extra USB cables; small screwdrivers to open a laptop case; a microfiber cloth — for dusty keyboards and screens — wrapped around his portable hard drive for cushioning; a spare MicroSD card for his phone or camera; and a "utility" thumb drive, which includes security, recovery and repair software packages.</p> <p> Brandt's carry-on bag always contains his laptop, its power cord, a three-way power-outlet splitter (for crowded airports that offer just one outlet every 100 yards), a laptop locking cable, a USB cable and power cord for his phone, international power adapters (if necessary), a portable hard drive and a pack of Red Vines licorice.</p> <p> "You know, for emergencies," he said.</p>
<p> "While I was on the road on my last international trip, the Internet Crime Complaints Center published a somewhat vague warning about using <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1831-crooks-hotel-internet.html">hotel Internet connections abroad</a>," Brandt said. "The gist of the story is that some international travelers were being presented with bogus 'software update' popups while using the hotel's wireless broadband, and finding themselves infected with malware as a result."</p> <p> Brandt said there have been reports for several years about business travelers returning from abroad and finding that <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/231-tech-travel-tip-assume-your-devices-will-be-compromised.html">malware or spyware had been installed surreptitiously on their laptops</a> when they were left unattended.</p> <p> "Configuring a boot password in BIOS, and disabling the laptop from being able to boot from a removable media device (such as an optical disc or USB drive), may prevent some of those tricks from succeeding," he said. "And, if you have one available, I'd highly recommend that you <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1310-vpn-network-security.html">always use a VPN (virtual private network)</a> to encrypt your communications — even personal ones — through the home office.</p> <p> "But in the end, the only way you can be sure that nothing undesirable remains on your laptop after your return is to re-image it using the backup you made before you left home, which is why I recommend going to that level of extremes."</p>
<p>But that doesn't mean you have to give everyone a <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1465-drive-emails.html">new email address</a> to use.</p> <p> "I create a new Gmail account just for international trips, and configure my other email accounts to forward their messages to the new one, just for the duration of the trip, so I never have to log into the 'real' email account while using a network I have no control over," Brandt said. "When I get home, I've still got copies of all my messages in the original accounts, and I can delete the 'vacation Gmail' box permanently with no loss of data."</p> <p> [<a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1999-encrypted-email.html">Why You Need to Use Encrypted Email</a>]</p>
<p> "<a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1367-iran-cracks-down-on-internet-cafes.html">Cybercafés</a> offer a measure of convenience, but you have to treat any cybercafé computer you use as if it is completely compromised with malware," he said. "Never log into any kind of financial website from a cybercafé, and assume that after logging into a social media or email account from a public computer, you'll need to change the password before you log out."</p> <p> [<a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/2015-airport-security-screening-rules.html">How to Get Through Airport Security Faster</a>]</p> <p>
<p> "I travel a lot, and when the hotel has one or more shared computers in the lobby or 'business center,' I can't keep my curiosity in check, and always take a look at it," Brandt said.</p> <p> "In my admittedly limited experience, anywhere from a quarter to half of the computers set up for public use in hotel lobbies in the U.S. that I've looked at have been previously <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1768-mac-malware-infection-rate.html">infected with one or more types of malware</a>. Some of these have been infected for months before I stumble across them."</p> <p> So Brandt uses his thumb drive containing analysis and malware removal tools and tries to clean the hotel computer before he leaves — but more often than not, the hotel's software restrictions prevent him from doing so.</p> <p> "In those cases, I just pull the plug on the box and tell the hotel manager, so at least nobody else will get their IM, social network or email passwords stolen," he said.</p>
<p> "When you get home from a trip, always, always, always <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1486-password-overload.html">change the passwords</a> of any accounts you may have accessed while on the road," Brandt said.</p> <p>"That includes email, IM and social networks. Just assume that someone has been stealing your passwords the entire time, and change them the minute you get home."</p>
<p>If you do have to, then ensure that your secure connections are available.</p> <p> "Things like Facebook and Twitter will automatically <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/612-facebook-rolls-out-improved-security-measures.html">default to a secure connection</a> now, but there are plenty of sites that don't," said Tim Armstrong, malware researcher at the Boston office of Russian security firm Kaspersky Labs. "So especially if you're going to buy something with a credit card, you want to make sure the connection is SSL [secure socket link] so that your details aren't getting sniffed."</p> <p> To make certain you've a secure connection, Armstrong said you should look for a lock icon in the browser's URL (address) bar or in the right corner of the Web page.</p> <p> [<a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/2009-wi-fi-safe-traveling.html">How to Keep Your Wi-Fi Safe While Traveling</a>]</p>
<p>Armstrong says <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/741-dont-tip-off-thieves-when-youre-out-of-town.html">burglars often troll social networks</a> looking for clues that homes are unoccupied. Wait until you get home to share your vacation photos and videos with family and friends.</p>
<p>When you walk away from your mobile phone, tablet or laptop, the information you've stored on it becomes vulnerable. Be sure your device is <a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/1094-russian-firm-cracks-impossible-blackberry-passwords.html">password-protected</a> and lock your device to ensure your data is protected, Armstrong said.</p> <p> [<a href="http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/893-summer-travel-security-tips.html">5 Ways to Keep Your Gadgets Safe During Summer Travel</a>]</p>
Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved.